The Coast Guard has recertified the citizens’ council as meeting its responsibilities under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.
In a March 15 letter to the council, Rear Admiral Thomas Ostebo, commander of the Coast Guard’s District 17 in Juneau, notified the council of the recertification.
The 1990 Act requires the council to be recertified annually by the President of the United States. This responsibility was delegated to the Coast Guard and currently the Council must reapply yearly for the Coast Guard’s approval as the alternate voluntary citizens’ advisory group to the oil industry in Prince William Sound.
Guidelines established in 2002 streamlined the recertification process for two out of three years, with every third year requiring stricter procedures. That process—known as comprehensive recertification—was used this year.
The new recertification expires in February 2015. At that time, the council is scheduled to undergo the streamlined version of recertification.
The council received 78 letters of support from organizations; agencies; businesses; Native corporations; six Alaska state legislators; Senators Mark Begich, Lisa Murkowski and Congressman Don Young; and members of the public during the recertification process. You can read these letters in the Resources section of this website.